Ice Baby

You know it's cold in your house and outside when you find ice on the inside of your windows and not just a trace but quite bit. I decided that the Christmas lights in the girls bedrooms needed to come down today because I really wanted to put the last box of Christmas stuff finally away. I pulled up their blinds and started pulling off the suction cups holding the lights when I noticed that at the bottoms of the windows near the track the window had a nice quarter inch of ice all the way along and in the corners there was a bit more. Is it time for new windows? Probably. Will we get them? No, because I plan on moving after this winter. But poor little M whose bed is below the window with the most ice on it. I'd move the bed but there is no place else to put the tiny toddler bed so we'll just make sure that she is covered up at night before we go to bed. That is an easier thing to say than to do. M has little to no fat on her body. Last night when I went to tuck her in before heading to bed she had taken off her pajamas and was huddled in a ball. I put her heavy fleece blanket on top of her and she relaxed a bit. I knew the temperature was going to drop last night with the incoming storm so I put her jammies back on while she was sleeping--not an easy task as she kept wanting to suck her thumb but I needed her arm to put inside the sleeve. It was finally accomplished and a blanket tucked in around her. This morning she was still dressed so that is a good thing; however, if she chooses to get undressed in the middle of the night except for her underwear like she did last night, I can't do much about it. I'm hoping this getting undressed thing is just a stage.

Happy 2009!

Ever since we've had kids we've decided to celebrate New Years early. Early is usually around 8 P.M. so somewhere in the world someone is bringing in the new year with us but usually it's not our neighbors. We light sparklers at 6:00 and then come in to play some games, eat some treats and then do our countdown at 10 seconds to 8. At which time we toot our horns, pop those little confetti things and shout at the top of our lungs, "Happy New Year!" Then it is time to clean up the streamers, finish getting the kids ready for bed and then finally put them to bed. We figure there is no sense in having the kids stay up late since they don't sleep in and then have them be grumpy all the next day because of lack of sleep. It works out really well since they watch fun movies during the day and at night we have our party with lots of fun treats that they have picked out.

This year, E, asked me if she could stay up till midnight. I told her no and that we celebrate early so that the next day we can all be happy people. Besides we were going to go sledding the next morning after we got up and had breakfast. That seemed to help. And on New Year's Day we did go sledding bright and early and we were the only ones at the hill so they all had plenty of time to sled on the sleds or on their stomachs and do the penguin slide. Even H got a few rides and enjoyed crawling on the icy snow. He lost his boots a few times but what do you expect from someone who still crawls everywhere.

Our favorite game this year was the Honey Bee Hop--squeals of giggles are heard as the girls try to jump over the bee and it gets them all tired from jumping and laughing. Here's to a great 2009!

The kindness of others

Today I had to run a few errands. I was trying to beat the coming snow storm. I called various stores and found out if they had the items. One store even put the candy thermometers on hold for me since they only had two left of each type. We made it to the customer service desk and the ladies there found the candy thermometers on hold. Another lady that worked there saw what I was getting and told me to get the cheaper one because she says that they all work the same but the expensive ones were like buying a name brand. She also told me that she had the same cheap one and it worked great but if for some reason it didn't I could return it. I saved $6 not a whole lot but I appreciated her help and honesty. I still needed a few more items so we finished some shopping and went to check out. When we were checking out, E, yells out, "Mom! H has a big burger!" I look and sure enough he does. I'm trying to find a tissue but can't find anything. I did have a piece of paper so I was trying to use that and H is screaming because paper isn't soft. The lady behind me saw the situation and pulled out a tissue from her bag. H liked that a lot better as I finished cleaning up his nose. The third random act of kindness came in the parking lot. It was snowing and I had finished putting the three bags of groceries in the back and I was trying to buckle H and T in their car seats when a lady walked past, saw my empty cart and saw me buckling the two little ones in when she says that she will just put my cart away with hers. Three acts of kindness showed to me by strangers who made my day a little easier, a little happier. So thank you to all who show a little kindness to another person--I hope that I can return the simple acts of kindness to someone else.

Enemy #1

M has an enemy. According to E and T the little boy across the street, who is a year younger than M, is her enemy. He is her enemy because he hits her (although she hits him back). He is also an enemy because he makes her cry and they stare at each other with looks of anger or malice until the other looks away. Who knew that one so little could have an enemy already?

It's all about giving thanks...

Around here we have a lot to be thankful for.

E: my family, food, books, school, parents, brother and sisters, toys, games, my house, bed, plants, animals, clothes, my grandma and grandpa, my cousins, my friends, aunts and uncles, teeth, dentists and doctors, firefighters, police and hospitals.

T: family, friends, grandpas and grandmas, aunts and uncles, mom and dad, sisters and brother, clothes, toys, the earth.

M: mommy and daddy coming home, my birthday, family, books, tomatoes, Ella and Thea and Henry, blankets.

H: food to eat, foot pajamas, bandaids and neosporin, music, milk, bottles, ability to crawl, diapers.

I am thankful for 4 wonderful children who are healthy, a husband that loves me and a father who loves and teaches our children. I am thankful for falling leaves and the wonder it holds for little hands and feet to explore, for rain and for puddles to jump in, for a washer and dryer to wash and dry those same clothes. I am thankful for smiles and little hands that reach out to hold mine. I am thankful for women in my ward who will love H for me and rock him to sleep during Sacrament meeting so that I can hold M and be with E and T. I am grateful for my parents who teach and love me and for sisters and a brother who also love me. I am grateful for air to breathe, public libraries, books, testimonies, and my Savior. I am indebted to men and women both past and present who fight for my liberties and freedoms that I enjoy on a daily basis. I am thankful for a house to shelter us, technology, good neighbors, Steve's job and so much more.

I am truly blessed.

Makes me laugh

If you ask M to spell her name this is what you get: "E-M-E-B" or "E-M-E-turtle" or "E-M-E-monkey." She isn't even close but it's funny to see what combination she can come up with next in her little mind.

E was playing Heads Up 7-Up at a church function and after she proudly exclaimed, "I knew who put my thumb down. . . . Because I peeked!" At least she is honest and really how else can you know who pushed your thumb down?

T running out of dance class exclaiming, "I'm a snow sprite! I'm a snow sprite. I've always wanted to be one!" In her oh so many years alive apparently this is a huge pinnacle she's reached but her grin makes you smile and wish that everything in the world would be like finding out you are a snow sprite.

H loves to crawl away from you as fast as he can and if you follow behind him he always winds up in the bathroom in the upstairs with a giant grin on his face as you pick him up and carry him back down the stairs and if you put him back down again he'll repeat the process.

My soapbox

With the election just under a week away, I have thought hard about who I want to see run my country. I might not agree with everything that one candidate says or does all time but we are human and being human means we make mistakes. I figure I have only two options when it comes to choosing the next President of the United States. I can choose Obama or McCain. I have watched the debates and as I have watched Obama I must confess that he is a great rhetorician. I did a term paper on great rhetoricians in college among them were Martin Luther King, Jr. and Adolf Hitler. I listened to their speeches and they were eloquent. They made you see the change they could bring or offer. It's no wonder why the people of Germany who in desperate times wanted some change as they were starving and their economy was at rock bottom. Martin Luther had a dream and it made the country perhaps look beyond the color of one's skin and take the necessary steps for the rights of blacks to come to the forefront. Yet, as I listen to Obama, my stomach lurches as I know a little bit of his background--I have tried to do my part to see what type of man he his. Yet, with all the hype about him and his charasmatic personality can't people see what lies beneath his words. He's a snake charmer. He lulls you away with his words and his smile but what happens when he is in control. What friends will he keep and what laws will he pass?

As a mother of 4, I have learned responsibility to those who can't take care of themselves, the little one who is sick and only wants to be held and loved, those that smile for the first time and those whose little fingers wrap around yours. There is nothing better than holding a newborn in your arms and feeling your heart grow and knowing that you brought this miracle into this world. Yet, how can Obama with daughters of his own support partial birth abortions when the baby at a viable age is extracted from the mother except for the head and then scissors are rammed through the skull and the babies brains are suctioned out. This is not humane. I have friends who would give anything to have a baby of their own but are not able to and yet this practice of killing little ones who could live on their own takes place and Obama supports it. Don't give me your hoopla saying that he voted "present"--he didn't take a stand and not taking a stand is just as bad. I worry about policies he'll make and how he'll treat others. I know how he talks but I need someone who does more than talk the talk.

I know that McCain has his share of problems and concerns, but at least he sticks his neck out and stands up for what he believes. I need someone who will do that. I know that our economy isn't the best but look at the world's economy because it's not doing, too, well either. I know that we will emerge from this time stronger but I want someone that has similar values leading me. Don't you?

---And now I'll get down---